A Christmas Vacation
While traveling with four children certainly isn’t easy, the long term benefits are very rewarding. (Actually we were in a group of ten- family and extended family.) This year we made a deal with all of the kids that instead of Christmas presents, we would take a week long trip to Puerto Vallarta and stay at an all-inclusive resort. I have to admit that at first I was a little hesitant, after all, what is Christmas without snow, decorating the tree, gifts, hot chocolate (well all right, they had hot chocolate but the median temperature in Mexico was 30 degrees so it becomes a little redundant even for me), etc. etc., so we caved a little- we decided to do a Secret Santa gift exchange.
So the next day the ten of us took a bus ride into Puerto Vallarta and hunted down our treasures in the flea market there. Much to my surprise all of the kids had a great time bargaining and searching for the perfect (small) gift and not one of them complained Christmas Day about the lack of the usual (embarrassing) mound of gifts. Instead each one of them came away with stories about what they saw, who they spoke with and how they made their final purchase. It was a very educational experience, and not just for them.
As it turns out Christmas is also a great time to go whale watching in Mexico as the humpback whales are migrating through. One of the highlights of our trip was chartering a private sailboat, the Dos Amantes, and spending the day on the open water, surrounded by whales. Afterwards, we were taken to a private cove and we were able to see some of the marine life close up while snorkeling. What a great day! What a great trip!
The gift of travel is one that never leaves. Take a picture and you can look at it, buy a souvenir and you can hold it, but the memory in your heart and your mind is the one thing that counts and will never go away.
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